Tanking Teams

Setting up a tanking team can be tricky.  Ultimately, 'bring the player, not the class' is probably MOST true with tanking.  Today I heard tanking described as 30% science and 70% art.  I think that is a little generous, but in essence, it's true.  We've all run in PuGs, or in VoA with a MT or OT who has 45k health, but forgets to pick up some adds.  I've seen tanks try Koralon with 52k health who figure that they can just stand in the fire and 'get heals'.  In tanking, perhaps more than in other classes, your 'rotation' is secondary to your objective.  Gear certainly helps in tanking, but there is a wide range of acceptable gear for the content is available right now.

The most important thing about tanking is having a tank who WANTS to tank.  Personally, I get burned out from tanking.  I can do it for a while, but then I need to move to something else.  There really is much more pressure tanking.  For healers, the pressure is similar, but I've spent a lot of time doing both, and personally, I feel twice the pressure tanking as I do healing.  The 2nd or 3rd tank job is another role that is challenging on its own.  I usually feel like the second best (or third) and that is usually not a great feeling.  It does take a special motivation to want to be a tank.  Getting 2 people totally dedicated to it is essential.  Having 2 people ready to fill take role, while primarily doing something else is also needed.  We use 3 tanks on certain encounters.  Most of the time we just need 2, so having one tank, who can dps well, or provide extra heals, is a great benefit.

In a good raid, everybody is comfortable with their role for an encounter.  They fill that role, and if able, help others too.  The MT pallie who has a minute to sit around waiting for Onyxia to drop, and gets off some heals  . . .that guy is a hero.  The DK OT who changes his presence for phase 3, swaps out the weapons and piles on 750 more dps . . . that is somebody who understands his class, and his ability.  The OT warrior, who gets the debuffs up on the mobs, move the vigilance around to help folks reduce their threat . . .I want that guy on the team.